Philadelphia garage collapse victims identified as demolition begins in Grays Ferry

A precast concrete segment failed inside a seven-story garage under construction for Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, killing ironworker Stepan Shevchuk and leaving Matthew Kane and Mark Scott Jr. presumed dead as crews began a controlled demolition aimed at recovering them safely.

The partial collapse happened about 2:17 p.m. Wednesday, April 8, near 30th Street and Grays Ferry Avenue in Philadelphia’s Grays Ferry neighborhood. Officials said the failure started during installation and triggered a progressive collapse across connected sections of the structure. Two other workers were rescued from the scene, and after searches with federally certified canines found no signs of life, the operation shifted from rescue to recovery.

By Saturday, April 11, demolition had begun because the remaining structure was considered unstable. City officials said the teardown was being done slowly and deliberately, with engineers and inspectors watching how the garage responded as crews worked through the wreckage. Recovery efforts were led by the Philadelphia Fire Department, which used robots, drones, live detection canines and human remains detection dogs as part of the operation. Mayor Cherelle Parker also directed flags across Philadelphia to be lowered to half-staff in honor of the ironworkers.

Philadelphia Ironworkers Local 401 identified the dead worker as Shevchuk and the two missing men as Kane and Scott Jr. The union’s identification gave names to a disaster that has torn through job sites and families alike, while the city said the demolition was part of the recovery effort, not a separate cleanup. Operations were set to resume Sunday morning, April 12, as crews continued working around the unstable shell.

The collapse also reverberated beyond the construction site. A community meeting at Vare Recreation Center, 2601 Moore Street, brought residents face to face with officials over safety, communication and the costs of the closure. Neighbors raised concerns about possible damage to nearby homes and the financial impact of restricted access, including the shutdown of The Fresh Grocer, the closest supermarket for many in the area. The city announced a food giveaway and said more meetings were planned.

Philadelphia’s Office of Emergency Management warned residents to expect loud noise, and Mayor Parker advised people with sensitive respiratory conditions to consider a mask such as an N95 because of dust. As demolition moved forward in Grays Ferry, the central question remained the same: how a jobsite under construction for a major hospital ended in a collapse that killed workers, disrupted a neighborhood and forced city agencies into a recovery effort that will now be judged on transparency, accountability and the speed of answers.